Brenda Matwich - My two beautiful daughters, only 23 months apart in age, taken during the Christmas season a couple of years ago. I am so blessed to have them, they are my rock, inspiration, and friends as well. I love them very much.

Johnita Callan - My daughter Shannon Alvarado is on the left and I am on the right. She is the mother of 4 children and she and her husband live in Honolulu where he is stationed in the Navy. I am an accountant at Callan Accounting Services CPA, LLC here in Bend. Everyone always tells us how much we look alike!

Greg Mikkelson - This is my wife Teresa (she rather not announce her age) and our daughter Sarah 13. I feel they look like sisters, I call Sarah "mini-mommy" although she is the same height as her mom at an even 5 feet.

Marsha McGuire - I'll be her first role model~her first friend ~her first love ~she is my little girl. He broke them all when he handed her to me I'm blessed beyond belief that this bright eyed, heart of gold, standing strong girl calls me Mom. Between her brother and her they make my life complete.

Eileen Blair - My oldest daughter Ashley in pink shirt with white sweater on left and my youngest daughter in middle with black / white dress and myself ( mom) on right with white shirt with my granddaughters in front . Every where we go people think we are sisters , twins or they will say I can't denied them

Sherri Wingerd - My daughter is my daughters are my world. This daughter Nikki and I are always being told we are look like sisters. People think we are lying when I say I am her Mother. She is my best friend this photo shows her fun personality. She always makes me smile.

Central Oregon moms and daughters

Look-alike contest drew some familiar faces

By Alandra Johnson / The Bulletin

May 9, 2014 at 10:44AM

W hen we decided to host a Mother-Daughter Look-alike Contest, we had no idea what we were getting into. I have spearheaded many contests here at The Bulletin and helped judge Halloween costumes and tasty cookies. But no contest was as challenging to judge as this one. We received more than 140 entries, many of which were striking. The pictures made us laugh and smile. Some moms and daughters bear resemblance to one another not just through physical features, but through posture and poses and the way their eyes crinkle up.

We picked five top choices, but another two dozen could have just as easily made the cut.

Thanks for sharing your photos with us. Check out the rest of the entries above.

Grand prize:

Kaci Ahmuty, 42, and Gayle Keffer, 74

Kaci Ahmuty and her mom Gayle Keffer won grand prize in the mother-daughter lookalike contest.

Not surprisingly, people are always telling Kaci and Gayle that they look alike. “All the time. All the time, all the time! It’s crazy,” said Kaci.

Last summer Kaci moved to Bend from Alaska along with her husband, Michael, and two daughters, Riley, 9, and Cassidy, 5, in order to take over a river rafting company, River Stone Adventures. Within a few months of the move, Kaci learned she had breast cancer. Her parents, who live in Wyoming, both decided to move out during her treatment in order to help her. For six months, Kaci’s parents were by her side, doing dishes, rubbing her feet and dealing with her “chemo monster” rage. The cancer is now in remission and Kaci’s hair is starting to grow back, although she will still go through radiation and eventually re-constructive surgery.

Kaci says her mom suffered seeing Kaci sick. She kept telling her daughter “I wish I could take that, I would go through it.”

Kaci shares an adventurous spirit with her mom, who is a senior Olympian and who loved taking her family on long backpacking trips.

“She’s just totally sweet. She would do anything for you,” said Kaci.

Top finishers:

Renee Douglass, 63, Jennifer Salari, 41 and Kenzie Salari, 11

Kenzie Salari, Jennifer Salari and Renee Douglass

These three not only look alike, they also share personality traits and interests, like shopping, organizing and decorating. Jennifer says people often say Kenzie is a “mini mom” and ask if she and her mom are actually sisters. Jennifer is a second generation Bend resident, former teacher and current stay-at-home mom to her three children, including Kenzie and two boys, age 9 and 3. Renee recently retired as a teacher from Cascade Middle School.

Patrice Pease, 47, and Alyssa Pease, 19

Patrice Pease and daughter Alyssa.

Patrice is a mom to twin daughters, but says the twins look nothing alike. Amanda, tall and blonde, looks like her dad, while Alyssa and Patrice are dead-ringers. Patrice says she and Alyssa also share the same silly sense of humor. Both daughters are freshmen who play soccer at the University of Idaho. Alyssa was recently nominated as the freshman athlete of the year.

Suzanne Lind-Krumvieda and her daughter Kayla Krumvieda

Suzanne Lind

Suzanne and Kayla were floating the John Day River together over Mother’s Day weekend. In addition to sharing the same smile, they are also both involved in education. Kayla is a teacher in Madras, while Suzanne has served as a secretary at Sisters High School for more than 20 years.

Leslie Lehnherr, 35, and daughter Ashley, 14

Leslie Lehnherr and daughter Ashley were top finishers in the look-alike contest.

In addition to sharing strikingly similar looks, Leslie and Ashley also have similar personalities, quiet and a bit timid. Ashley is an eighth-grader at High Desert Middle School. Leslie serves as a manager for a residential assistance program for those with disabilities. Leslie says she and her daughter love swimming, shopping and just hanging out together.